About the film
This documentary covers the origins of the Oblate Sisters of Providence and it is dedicated to the work of the Oblates in Cuba. Viewers can have information about the events that were triggered by the Haitian Revolution at the end of the 18th century: A large wave of French emigrants, mulattoes, free and enslaved blacks occurred. But free blacks and mulattoes also represent a very important social and cultural nucleus. In this context, the family of Elizabeth Clarisse Lange appears, who in the future would be Mother Mary Lange, founder of the Oblate Sisters of La Providencia in 1829. Religious education – Catholic – was accompanied by a requirement for preparation to face a society full of discrimination based on skin color. From the beginning, the education of black girls and boys was its main mission. And both in the United States and in Cuba (1900-1961) they faced a racist and classist society. Religious, former students of the schools that the Oblates opened in Cuba and above all the investigation, the search for a time and a style of education through the family memory of Gloria Rolando, the film’s director, together with the testimonies of the last Cuban Oblates, are the voices and narrative ingredients of the Sisters of the Heart project.
About Minnesota Cuban Film Festival
The Minnesota Cuban Film Festival is organized by the Minnesota Cuba Committee, in collaboration with MSP Film Society and ICAIC (Cuban Film Institute). The Minnesota Cuba Committee is responsible for the film selection and program information. The 15th Minnesota Cuban Film Festival features films that address the achievements and challenges of the Cuban people through the eyes of its filmmakers. The festival highlights diverse and challenging films of social change, human struggle and the boldness of the human spirit. The festival starts Wednesday, February 28 and runs for five consecutive Thursdays through April 4, 2024.
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